INFRC promotes Nature Farming and the technology of Effective Microorganisms (EM) in cooperation with various organizations in countries in the Asia-Pacific region through APNAN (Asia-Pacific Natural Agricultural Network). APNAN was founded in 1989 for spreading Nature Farming utilizing EM technology in the Asia-Pacific region and works on a wide range of activities around Southeast Asia.
APNAN mainly carries out such activities as spreading information on Nature Farming and EM technology through APNAN News and its website, holding workshops and accepting visitors from other countries. APNAN News is an English information magazine carrying news on APNAN activities, Nature Farming and EM technologies around the world. (APNAN News is not available currently.)
Furthermore, for disseminating information on Nature Farming and facilitating academic exchanges, we held seven international conferences on Kyusei Nature Farming in the major regions of the world and made presentations at the IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) Organic World Congress.
We hold international workshops on Nature Farming and EM technology at Kyusei Nature Farming Center located in Saraburi Province, Thailand, with the cooperation of the center to promote Nature Farming and EM in other countries with the following main objectives.
We signed agreements with the government agencies of such countries as Laos and Bhutan and sent our staff to promote Nature Farming and EM technology there. In Myanmar, we cooperate with Multi-agri Development Association, a new domestic NGO in which a several private organizations participate to promote Nature Farming, based on the signed agreement.
Since China was not a founding member of APNAN, we have conducted dissemination activities in China separately from the other APNAN member countries. The program of accepting researchers and short-term trainees at our Agricultural Research Station in Matsumoto has become a big support for the dissemination of Nature Farming in China. We received 32 visiting researchers and 109 trainees from China since 1991 until 2018 for participating in research or receiving training. Among them are the president of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the deputy mayor of a municipal government, directors of the Bureau of Agriculture and research institutes and university professors. They are now working to promote Nature Farming. Currently, we organize an international forum on Nature Farming every year in China and co-held it at the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Harbin City in August 2018.